Odes to Life, Love, Loss, and Loyalty - 2. Chapter 2

Beautiful, Gary!

Beautiful poem, twenty years of love and longing.

To me, I interpret the poem from the perspective of a gay/bi person being involved with someone in the closet, who just couldn't come out or commit. Yet, you never stop loving them, though regret their choices.

What an astounding tribute to true, lasting love. You are right, even when it doesn’t work out the way we want love can remain pure and strong. You are incredibly gifted in expressing feelings most of us grapple with. After reading this, I think I’ll spend the rest of the day listening to Sam Cooke. 

So beautiful a statement of true and pure love.  There are many my age who lived lives as expected of them (or as perceived expected) but left behind someone they did love.  Thank you for being able to express such deep feeling through words. 

Such a beautiful expression of love, thank you for sharing this.

This was such a strong expression of love, loss and regret!  The first chapter was full of righteous anger, this was more sad, for the narrator and for the lost lover who chose the easier path.  I wonder if they regret their choice.  I wonder if there is still hope.  You packed a hell of a lot into a few lines!

Truly beautiful expression of love.

Love maybe blind but...it is faithful and constant!

For all the could have been if only......

Thanks Gary

How bittersweet the taste of this poem feels on my tongue as I read it. It may be like an aged wine, full of complexity and various flavors - yet the overarching melancholy puts me in a reflective mood, as anniversaries often do.  This is beautifully done.

Alas, we must own those twenty years of secret pain

But I swear to you without rancor

I will love you for twenty more

Perfect.

This is the story of your unique pain. It is also a pain shared by so many individuals over the years whom circumstances have forced to travel down unwanted paths. Thank you, Gary, for both these poems. For the personal journeys now shared.

I think this rings true for far too many of us.  It's regrettable for me, because I have a hard time now looking back on the time I was with the man I was in love with.  Mostly cause of how it ended.  That being said this was beautiful.  

On 9/8/2022 at 12:39 PM, AC Benus said:

Beautiful, Gary!

Thank you, AC. I appreciate hearing your thought on this. Cheers! 

On 9/8/2022 at 1:26 PM, W_L said:

Beautiful poem, twenty years of love and longing.

To me, I interpret the poem from the perspective of a gay/bi person being involved with someone in the closet, who just couldn't come out or commit. Yet, you never stop loving them, though regret their choices.

Yeah, that is a pretty accurate interpretation, W_L. Happy to hear you found it beautiful. Cheers!

On 9/8/2022 at 1:45 PM, 84Mags said:

What an astounding tribute to true, lasting love. You are right, even when it doesn’t work out the way we want love can remain pure and strong. You are incredibly gifted in expressing feelings most of us grapple with. After reading this, I think I’ll spend the rest of the day listening to Sam Cooke. 

Sam Cooke... good choice, Mags. I have learned I can love for a very long time... forever really. Some don't fade. Things don't always happen the way we want... especially for people of my generation. We had to make the best choice for us, and survival plays a part in that. I based my choice on his... and for years I convinced myself it was the right one. In many ways it was, but we can only go so long before our heart demands its truth. I think of him often, and I wish...

Thanks for the kind words of support, my friend. Cheers!  

On 9/8/2022 at 2:34 PM, pvtguy said:

So beautiful a statement of true and pure love.  There are many my age who lived lives as expected of them (or as perceived expected) but left behind someone they did love.  Thank you for being able to express such deep feeling through words. 

Thanks, Tony. Yeah, we did as expected, and suffered the costs. it's an ache that never really goes away. I will always wonder 'what if?' Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts with me. Cheers!   

On 9/8/2022 at 3:10 PM, Mancunian said:

Such a beautiful expression of love, thank you for sharing this.

You are very kind, Mancunian. Thank you for reading and leaving such a wonderful comment. Cheers!  

On 9/8/2022 at 5:59 PM, CincyKris said:

This was such a strong expression of love, loss and regret!  The first chapter was full of righteous anger, this was more sad, for the narrator and for the lost lover who chose the easier path.  I wonder if they regret their choice.  I wonder if there is still hope.  You packed a hell of a lot into a few lines!

Thank you, Kris! You're right that the first poem held much anger. It was needed in order to be able to accomplish what needed to be done. And you're right too the second one is sad... there is a certain melancholy that accompanies those early memories. I believe there is some regret... I've often wondered myself just how much, but their time has passed, I'm afraid. Appreciate hearing how these poems affected you. Cheers!  

On 9/8/2022 at 8:53 PM, drsawzall said:

Love maybe blind but...it is faithful and constant!

It is for me, Doc.   Love is a truly wonderful thing, and a driving force behind humans and animals alike. Unfortunately, society is constantly putting roadblocks in the way of it, even now. One in love should never have to choose a different path, but here we are. The unfairness of it is profound. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, my friend. Cheers!  

On 9/8/2022 at 9:32 PM, Albert1434 said:

For all the could have been if only......

Thanks Gary

Yeah... 'if onlys' can haunt us for a lifetime. Thanks, buddy. Cheers!  

On 9/8/2022 at 9:44 PM, Parker Owens said:

How bittersweet the taste of this poem feels on my tongue as I read it. It may be like an aged wine, full of complexity and various flavors - yet the overarching melancholy puts me in a reflective mood, as anniversaries often do.  This is beautifully done.

Thank you, Parker. This poem is indeed melancholy, but I remember the beauty of that time too. I had thought that bond would be too strong to break....

Appreciate the beautiful comment. Cheers!  

On 9/9/2022 at 2:35 AM, Aditus said:

Alas, we must own those twenty years of secret pain

But I swear to you without rancor

I will love you for twenty more

Perfect.

 

Thank you, Adi!